Initiative to ensure defibrillators are 'Rescue Ready'

St John Ambulance expedites scheme following 'recent events'

St John Ambulance has launched an initiative to ensure the Island's public defibrillators are kept in a working condition.

Earlier this month a woman in Bride, whose mother was suffering from a medical episode, found a nearby machine to be out of order when they tried to access it.

Lynsey Clague told BBC Isle of Man that her 76-year-old mum Helen Radcliffe fell ill on 11 September.

Despite the defibrillator being unavailable, Mrs Radcliffe is said to be "home now and doing incredibly well".

St John Ambulance Isle of Man's 'Rescue Ready' scheme, which looks at ensuring defibrillator maintenance, was already in the works prior to that incident, but it says it has been 'expedited' in light of recent events.

To ensure they're in working order, a number of local 'guardians' are appointed.

Under the charity's new initiative, guardians can choose from four annual subscription packages:

St John Ambulance Isle of Man already stocks replacement pads and batteries for most defibrillator makes and models at their headquarters, and it says it can order any stock that isn’t readily available for delivery within days.

It also runs an AED (Automated External Defibrillation) course that covers basic life support so that members of the public can feel capable and confident to act quickly in a cardiac emergency.

Claire Pickering is the CEO of the charity's Isle of Man branch:

Whilst Bride Parish Commissioners says the defibrillator in question had been purchased and donated privately, Manx charity Craig's Heartstrong Foundation is renowned for helping install more than 600 of them around the Island. 

Its chairman, Paul Healey, told Manx Radio it's a timely reminder of guardian's responsibilities:

On the 'Rescue Ready' scheme, Mr Healey says: “Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation fully supports St John Ambulance Isle of Man’s ‘Rescue Ready’ scheme and hopes that the packages they offer will streamline the procedure of defibrillator maintenance going forward.”

Bride Parish Commissioners has told Manx Radio that it has already registered its interest in signing up for the 'Rescue Ready' scheme.
A spokesperson says: 'Bride Commissioners hope, in co operation with St John Ambulance that ALL defibs across the Island are now monitored, training giving and volunteers and guardians can continue to support their community without fear of abuse.'
Bride

Following reports of the incident, Bride Parish Commissioners issued a statement saying the defibrillator in question now has a new battery and pads and an audit trail of requests for these items.

It also urged people not to subject its board members to 'bullying, threats and abuse'.

Meanwhile, and prior to the launch of the Rescue Ready scheme, Ms Clague had called for greater maintenance of the machines Island-wide. 

She has since also hit out at Bride Parish Commissioners, describing its actions as 'shameful' and urging its board members and clerk to stand down.

In a statement, Bride Parish Commissioners told Manx Radio that the defibrillator in question had been purchased privately via a donation from a resident of the village and not donated nor provided by a charity and to the best of the board's knowledge had never been used.

It says: "The defibrillator is checked and maintained by the guardians who are volunteers. There has been four guardians during the time the defib has been in Bride (one constant and three as and when the need arose). The defibrillator was checked on 17 July 2025, the evening before the Grand Fondo event. 

"At the time of checking, the defibrillator had the working green flashing light. The defib was checked again on 17 August 2025 – the defib was found to be out of battery life- no notifications regarding renewing the battery had been received by the guardians or the commissioners, the battery was still in date. 

"On 17 August an email was sent to defib@gov.im stating that the battery was dead and the defib had been marked Out of Order. 

"There was no reply to this email until 27 August from Defib@gov.im who noted the defib as Out of Order.

"On 21 August, a call was made to St John ambulance and a new battery was ordered (St John do not carry a stock of all defib batteries). 

"Having never had a reason to order a new battery some confusion arose to the type of defib installed in Bride and who to contact to order the battery. On 10 September the new battery arrived and was fitted in the afternoon. 

"An email was sent to defib@gov.im confirming dates and re activating the defibrillator. 

"Everything is logged and checked regularly as per instructions given when installing the defibrillator. 

"During the meeting, the Commissioners unanimously decided that until such time as a government or third sector/medical service takes responsibility for the training of guardians and co-ordination of the defibrillators across the Island the defib in Bride Village will be: OUT OF SERVICE This is effective immediately!! 

"To combat the lack of co-ordination, an email has been sent to Defib.gov and a copy of this statement has been circulated to all main media outlets on the Island. During the meeting, it was noted that recent reports have stated that upward of a third of the Islands defibs are not currently in use, properly co-ordinated nor maintained. 

"This decision has been made partly due to the reaction, abuse and threats that the volunteer Guardians and Commissioners suffered following the recent incident."

Lynsey Clague told Manx Radio: "This shameful action by Bride Parish Commissioners is a deflection from a systematic failure which has occurred in maintaining important lifesaving pieces of equipment.  

"In taking this decision, the commissioners have not acted in the best interests of the Parish, it’s residents and all those who visit our lovely village.  The entire board and their clerk should stand down.

"A logical solution would have been to outsource maintenance, ensuring the community defibrillator is available to save life 24/7, 365 days a year.

"The commissioners have a responsibility to listen to feedback, regardless of whether it is something they do or do not want to hear. As a family, we have personally thanked everyone who provided assistance in our recent emergency."